Outboard motor mountings



Oct. 1, 1957 J. M. STELLER 2,808,218

OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTINGS Filed July 29. 1955 m:. l I

. INVENTOR. 7 John M. SfeHer ATTORNEY United States Patent '0 OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTINGS John M. Steller, St. Francis, Kans.

Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,255

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-4) This invention relates to a device for mounting an outboard motor upon a boat, and has for its principal object the provision of a simple, inexpensive, and highly eflicient outboard motor mounting which can be quickly and easily applied to the transom of a boat, and to which any conventional outboard motor can be quickly and easily attached.

Another object of the invention is to provide an outboard motor mounting which will enable the user to quickly, easily and securely lock the motor at any desired propeller depth in the water and by means of which the motor can be supported with its propeller completely above the water surface when desired.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section through the stern of a conventional boat, illustrating the invention in place thereon, supporting a conventional outboard motor at a relatively deep position in the water;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the outboard motor supported at a relatively shallow depth in the water;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, plan view of the improved outboard motor mount in place on the transom of a boat, with the motor removed;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the mount of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the improved motor mount, taken on the line 55, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the upper portion of the improved motor mount; and

Fig. 7 is a side view of the latch bar assembly.

In the drawing, a conventional boat is indicated at 10, with its transom at 11 and a conventional outboard motor is diagrammatically illustrated at 12, with its propeller at 13, transom clamps at 14 and transom clamp screws at 15.

The improved motor mounting device comprises a top plate 16 having downwardly turned side flanges 17. The front of the top plate 16 is bent downwardly to form a downwardly extending front flange 18, and the rear edge of the top plate 16 is similarly bent downwardly to form a downwardly extending rear flange 19. A pair of threaded nuts 20 are welded or otherwise secured to the rear face of the front flange 18, and a pair of clamp screws 21 extends through the rear flange and through the nuts 20 in threaded engagement with the latter.

The rearward extremity of each clamp screw 21 is provided with a conventional swivel clamping plate 22, and the forward extremity of each clamp screw is provided with a hand grip 23 by means of which the clamp screws can be rotated to force the clamping plates 22 2 against the transom 11 to clamp the rear flanges 19 thereagainst.

A square, vertical guide tube 24 is welded to the midportion of the rear flange 19 and extends downwardly therefrom. An inner slide tube 25 of rectangular crosssection is slidably mounted'in the guide tube 24 in telescoping relation therewith. The upper extremity of the inner slide tube 25 is provided with a looped hand grip 26 by means of which the inner tube 25 can be manually raised or lowered in the guide tube 24. The inner slide tube 25- may be supported at any desired height in the guide tube 24 by means of a withdrawable latch bar 27 which is horizontally slidable through the front and rear flanges 18 and 19 and through the walls of the guide tube '24 and the inner slide tube 25.

The inner slide tube 25 is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced openings 28 arranged to register with and receive the latch bar 27. The latchbar 27 is provided at its forward extremity, with a finger loop 29 byv means of which it can be withdrawn from engagement with the openings 28 against the action of a compression spring 30. The compression spring 30 is contained within a spring sleeve 31 secured to the inner face of the forward flange 18 and acts against a fixed spring washer 32 which is locked on the latch bar 27 by means of a locking pin 33.

It can be seen that if the hand grip 26 is gripped in one hand and the finger loop 29 is gripped in the other hand, the inner slide tube 25 may be released and raised or lowered to any desired position in the guide tube and that it may be locked in the selected position by engaging the latch bar 27 in one of the openings 28.

A bracket plate 34 is welded to or otherwise secured to the rear face of the inner slide tube 25. The outer guide tube 24 is provided with a vertical slot 35 through which the bracket plate 34 extends and by which the bracket plate 34 is guided and braced as the inner slide tube 25 is moved upwardly and downwardly. The bracket plate 34 has an isosceles parallelogram shape and extends both rearwardly and upwardly from the tubes 24 and 25.

A vertical motor mounting plate 36 is permanently welded to and extends transversely across the rear extremity of the bracket plate 34. A wooden clamping pad 37 is secured over the forward face of the motor mounting plate 36 by means of suitable attachment rivets 38, or in any other desired manner. The pad 37 is slotted where it passes over and around the bracket plate 34.

it can be seen from Figs. 1 and 2 that the motor mounting plate 36 and its pad 37 provide what might be termed a sub-transom for the boat 10, and provide means for receiving the transom clamps 14 of the outboard motor 12. The latter clamps are secured in place by means of the conventional motor clamp screws 15.

It can be seen that by adjustment of the vertical position of the inner tube as above described, the vertical position of the outboard motor can be adjusted from the position of Fig. l to the position of Fig. 2 or to any intermediate position and that it can be locked in the selected position by means of the latch bar 27.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An outboard motor mounting device for boats comprising: a vertical guide tube; means for securing said tube to a boat; an inner slide tube enclosed within and vertically slidable within said guide tube; a vertical slot Tatented Oct. 1, 19.57.

, 3 I in the rear of said guide tube; a bracket member mounted on and extending rearwardly from said slide tube through said vertical slot; vertically spaced apertures in said slide tube; a withdrawable latch member extending; through.

the front'of'said guide tube and engaging one otsaid apertures in said slide tube for locking said slide ,tube' at a selected elevation in said guide tube; a motor mounting plate secured on the rearextremity of said bracket member and extending transversely thereof; and a clamping pad mounted on said mounting plate to which an outboard motor may be secured.

2. An outboard motor mounting device for boats comprising: a top plate; a downwardly extending front flange on said top plate; a downwardly extending rear flange on said top plate;'clamp screws mounted in said front flange and adapted to clamp the transom of a boat against said rear flange; a hollow, square, vertical guide tube secured to said rear flange and extending downwardly therefrom; a hollow, square,- inner slide t-ube slidably mounted in said guide tube; vertically spaced apertures in said slide tube; a horizontally positioned latch bar extending through said front and rear flanges and through the wall of the guide tube and one of the apertures in the slide tube for supporting the latter; resilient means urging said latch bar into supporting relation; a vertical slot in the rear of the guide tube; a bracket plate mounted on said slide tube and extending rearwardly therefrom through said vertical slot in said guide tube; and

a motor mounting plate secured to and extending transversely across the rear extremity of said bracket plate for receiving an outboard motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 227,634 Loehner May 18, 1880 2,162,400 Heath June 13, 1939 2,213,520 Gentry Sept. 3, 1940 2,507,613 Reid May 16, 1950 2,668,679 Harneit Feb. 9, 1954 

